. decoding the debate. as the vice presidential candidates prepare to square off tonight a new cbs news poll shows mitt romney getting a post-debate bounce in two key states. rescued from the wreckage. two people are pulled to safety in the aftermath of a deadly collapse at a parking garage. diamond drama. post-season baseball heats up with two fantastic finishes. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, october 11, 2012. good morning, everybody, good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. debates between vice presidential candidates aren't

supposed to matter but after president obama's poor debate performance last weeknight's faceoff between joe biden and paul ryan has turned into a high stakes affair. in colorado president obama held a slim lead in september now romney has a one-point edge. in wisconsin the president was leading by six points last month, he leads romney by just three points now. in virginia the president continues to hold on to a small lead. tara mergener is in washington following all of this. >> reporter: good morning. boy the pressure sure is on tonight particularly for joe biden who will be trying to gain ground following that first presidential debate. paul ryan will be trying to keep up his campaign's new momentum. paul ryan arrived in kentucky ahead of his first nationally televised debate. the number two man on the gop ticket told reporters earlier in florida voters will see a clear

choice when he faces off against vice president joe biden. >> joe biden has been on the stage before. he's been on these big stages. it's my first time. what he can't run from is president obama's indefensible record. they are just offering more of the same. >> reporter: ryan will face an opponent who of end causes controversy. but vice president biden is a seasoned debater. usually vice presidential debates don't greatly impact elections. but with the president's lackluster debate performance many believe the democrats desperately need the vice president to deliver tonight. >> what it will do especially for the obama campaign after this horrific debate that president obama had last week, it will stop the bleeding. >> reporter: romney and the president debate for a second time next week in new york. now a new cbs news poll does show some new interesting

information about three key swing states. voters in colorado, virginia and wisconsin all expect paul ryan to win tonight. the poll also says biden is viewed favorably in colorado but not so much in wisconsin or virginia and paul ryan is voted favorable in all three states. terrell. >> well, well, well, we'll have to see what happens tonight. by the way you can watch tonight's vermontal candidate in danville, kentucky beginning 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on cbs. the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya has become a campaign issue. during a politically charged congressional hearing yesterday, two key issues were on the table. whether security was adequate own the administration's characterization of what happened after the attack. >> reporter: the state department's eric nordstrom was the key official in libya and said he told his headquarters

getting adequate security was the hardest part of his dangerous job. >> it's not the hardship, not the gunfire, not the threats, it's dealing and fighting against the people, programs and personnel who are supposed to be supporting me. i added it for me the taliban is on the inside of the building. >> reporter: lieutenant colonel andrew woodheaded a special military team whose mission ended and was not extended a month before the september 11th attack. he told us he felt the same frustration. >> so all the experts on the ground are telling headquarters at the state department we need this. and the answer kept come back as? >> you've got to do with less. for what reasons i don't know. >> reporter: charlene lamb is the state department official who declined the security request and stood her ground. >> sir, we had the correct number of assets in benghazi at

the time of 9/11 for what had been agreed upon. >> to start off by saying you had the correct number somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the american people. >> reporter: james carney echoed the criticism. >> when four american personnel are killed in an attack on a diplomatic facility the curt there was not accurate to prevent that from happening. >> reporter: republicans also addressed the controversy over why the obama administration initially portrayed the terrorist attack as a spontaneous outbreak. >> why did it take so long for all these highly briefed and intelligent people to try and figure out that it actually wasn't a 15 minute youtube video and actually was a 9/11 event, a terrorist attack. >> reporter: state department under secretary patrick kennedy said there was no pressure to spin the event, not at the state department and not from the white house. sharyl attkisson, cbs news,

capitol hill. >> the supreme court took up the use of race in college admissions. it's a case that could have a significant impact on affirmative action. abigail fisher is suing the university of texas. she claims she was denied admission four years ago partly because she's white. the university claims using race as one factor in determining admissions is necessary to improve diversity. >> i think most americans would like a day when we don't need to take race and ethnicity into account in admissions. we are not to that day. >> i hope the court rules that a student's race and ethnicity should not be necessary when applying to the university of texas. >> most student are admitted to the university of texas based on their high school rank. a ruling expected next year. cbs moneywatch. spain's credit rating gets slashed and the end of the line for coca-cola's returnable glass bottles. >> reporter: good morning.

standard & poor the credit rating agency cut its rating on spain's debt to the lowest investment grade status. spain's debt crisis has triggered social unrest and driven unemployment to almost 25%. s&p warns banks could be downgraded further if economic conditions continue to erode. the news about spain sent most asian stocks downward. tokyo's nikkei dipped half of a percent while the hang seng added a quarter percent. wall street stocks were lower. the dow lost 128 point on wednesd wednesday, the sharpest decline since june. nasdaq was down 13 points. the housing market continues its recovery. realtytrac says the number of foreclosures dropped to a five year low. there were more than 180,000

filings in september the second consecutive monthly deplain. the department of energy expect temperatures to be normal this winter and that means higher heating cost. last winter was warmer than usual. heating bills could rise 20% for oil customer, 15% for natural gas, and 5% for electricity customers. worldwide sales of personal computers are sharply down. two research organizations say third quarter pc shipments are off by 8% from a year ago. back to school purchases usually keep third quarter pc sales strong. the drop off is due in part to consumers spending on tablets and smart phones. and it's the real thing after 80 years, no more coca-cola in 6 1/2 ounce returnable contour glass bottles. a minnesota bottler stopped production on tuesday saying they are just no longer profitable. coke is still sold in 8 ounce

bottles. next week the bottles will be sold online for $20 each. proceeds will go to a local public works project. i need a bigger drink. >> i'm glad they are not getting rid of the glass bottles all together. they were nice. ashley morrison here in new york. coming up, deadly collapse, the search for victims continues after a miami parking garage collapses, killing at least two people. this is the "cbs morning news".

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at least two construction workers are dead in the collapse of a miami parking garage. one other construction worker is unaccounted for. eight others were injured. rescuers expect to find another body in the rubble. one survivor was pulled from the rubble early this morning. 13 hours after the five story garage fell on wednesday. firefighters rescued another

person trapped under a steel beam shortly after the collapse. the cause hasn't been determined. overseas the pakistani taliban says it's not done with the young girl it tried to kill on tuesday. there were prayer vigils and demonstrations in support of 14-year-old malala yousufzai. she remains in critical condition this morning. she became a taliban target by supporting education for girls and criticizing the militant group. the taliban says it will target her again. the nationwide outbreak of deadly meningitis has spread to a dozen states. now health investigators are looking at two companies that made the tainted drug. danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: a second massachusetts drugmaker is shutting down over tainted viles of drugs. >> the temporary suspension of

operations will allow for an on sight investigation while continuing to safeguard public health. >> the centers for disease control says 13,000 doses of the drug were administered nationwide since may. 137 people have developed fungal meningitis, 12 have died. state officials want to know why the company was distributing the drugs at all outside massachusetts. governor duvall patrick says ncc is only licensed to make drugs there. >> they were making big batches and selling them out of state as a manufacturer would. they are outside the bounds of their state license and they need federal authority and permission to do that. >> reporter: chris cheryl from roanoke, virginia got permission to leave the hospital after six days. he came down with fungal meningitis. >> it's been real tough especially being away from home and will i live?

how this affects my life afterwards. how does this affect my kids. >> reporter: he'll have to take eight pills a day for the next six months. danielle nottingham, cbs news. >> up next, your thursday morning weather and in sports who needs a-rod when you have raul. [ feedback ] attention, well, everyone. you can now try snapshot from progressive free for 30 days. just plug this into your car, and your good driving

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partly sunny in chicago, 65 degrees. 84 in dallas and a few thunderstorms in los angeles, 69 degrees. let's check your national forecast. northeast and mid-atlantic states will be mainly dry and cool. temperatures will stay below average across the northern plains. most of the south will be sunny, warm and dry, showers and thunderstorms are possible in the southwest. in sports this morning, baseball post-season drama goes deep. the a's trying to avoid elimination. oakland trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth. then a double in the tying run. coco crisp end it, single to right. the a's win this one 4-3. oakland ties up the series at two games apiece. sitting for broadway in the bronx, bottom of the ninth yankees trailing. raul pinch-hitting for the alex rodriguez. he ties it up with a solo homer. he does it again. walk off upper deck shot wins it

for yankees 3-2. in the national league the giants jump out on the reds early, angel hits a lead off homer. another home run in the second inning. san francisco wins this one 8-3 and ties up the series two games apiece. in washington, since 1933 nationals come up short. the cardinals hits a three run homer in the second. st. louis crews win, they lead the nats two games to one. lance armstrong faces new allegations that he took part in the most sophisticated doping program in sports history. my cvs extracare card. i love my extrabucks rewards, and right now, they're doubling! so, when i shop -- i earn twice as much with double extrabucks rewards. that's two times the rewards! yeah, that's what double is. i know. i was agreeing with you. it's two times.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. sunny in washington, 62 degrees. partly sunny in atlanta 74. a thunderstorms in st. louis 66 degrees. partly sunny in denver 72.

clouds and fog in seattle, 64. a new report from the u.s. anti-doping agency says lance armstrong went to great lengths to win the tour de france. the agency alleges armstrong was the focal point of a ring of cyclists that used enhancing performance drugs. >> reporter: the report not only is that's armstrong's image but leaves little doubt that he and his postal service team were engaged in a systematic, sustained and highly professionalized doping conspiracy. >> this is the first time we've seen something this well organized, this sophisticated that was all designed essentially to cheat in the sport and win. >> reporter: the anti-doping agency report is based upon more than 1,000 pages of evidence, including sworn testimony from ten u.s. postal service riders

who had knowledge of armstrong's doping or doping by the team. plus financial payment, e-mail, scientific data and laboratory tests. hamilton who first detailed systematic doping by armstrong on "60 minutes" was one of the ex-teammates to be interviewed. >> for the record tell me what you saw in terms of what lance armstrong took in performance-enhancing drugs? >> we all took. really no difference between lance armstrong and the majority of the peloton. there was testosterone. i did see a blood transfusion. >> reporter: the most damning testimony was by one rider.

he was armstrong's long time lieutenant and assistant. hincapie admitted they used the drugs. a new survey out this new york says 30% of workers have called in sick when they weren't actually sick. 30%. that's it? that's in keeping with previous years. here are some of the creative sick day excuse employers have heard. a worker claimed their dog was having a nervous breakdown. they got upset after watching the "hunger games." their toe got stuck in the faucet. they forgot they were hired. some of those excuses will get you fired. you got to be smart about this thing. coming up after your local news on cbs "this morning," singer

bryan adams. i'm terrell brown in new york. this is the "cbs morning news". [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do.

. good morning. welcome to 9news now. we have figured out the solution to the nats' problem. it is thursday, october 11. i'm andrea roane. they can do it. i'm mike hydeck. thanks for joining us. they have to win today.

the weather won't be a problem so we can't blame howard. >> it will be cool so if you're going to the game, you'll need a jacket. we've got a chilly morning out there. into the 40s in many of the suburbs. we're still holding on to the low 50s here in washington. 53. we'll drop a little bit more this morning. then get to 56 by lunch time and turn it up to 61 or so, 63 for the high this afternoon. headed out to the game, it will start low 60s because it's a 4:07 start but they'll be falling into the 50s toward the middle and latter innings. some showers well to the north. we had a patch or two of clouds come through. clear to partly cloudy. mid-40s winchester, luray. 32 in oakland. their growing season is done. easton 52. it's 55 at the patuxent river naval air station. in d.c. 53. our highs this afternoon sunny

but chilly or brisk i should say with temperatures in the low 60s. maybe 65 manassas and culpeper. monika samtani, it's 4:27. take it away. thank you so much. good morning, everybody. things are looking pretty g. you have a couple of -- pretty good. you have a couple of construction spots. you'll need to stay to the right if you're planning to head southbound toward route 17 warrenton all the way to route 3. stay to the right to get around that construction zone. let's take a live look outside and show you what it looks like if you're planning to head northbound on i-95. here is what is looks like at route 1 in woodbridge. very light heading towards springfield. this time all the way up 270 coming in from frederick. no issues to report. 355 looks great as well. great seneca highway a little further south in gaithersburg and for the beltway you'll be fine. a quick look at the beltway in college park. here at route 1 everything is fine. eastbound or northbound route 212 at evans trail is blocked because of a utility problem.

maybe use 95 instead. i'll be back with more coming up at 4:39. we start with breaking news now. fire crews are on the scene of a deadly fire in northeast baltimore. two-alarm fire started just after 2:00 this morning at a house in the 5000 block of denwood avenue. five people were killed in the fire, four of them children. one person survived by jumping from a second-floor window. multiple firefighters have also been injured. we'll update you on the story throughout the morning. back to the nats. do or die at nats park in d.c. this is definitely not where the nationals thought they were going to be so soon in their first playoff run. >> absolutely. no matter how you say it, one more loss and the naptions' historic -- nationals' historic 2012 season will be done. the nationals' bats have been relatively silent. the team has been outscored 22- 7. so different from the regular season. wednesday was no different. they left 11 men on base while getting shut out 8-0. despite

the setbacks, the team hasn't pushed the panic button yet. >> we lost another battle. we've got a couple more battles we need to win. >> we weren't the best team in baseball for no reasonable. we have a good group of guys. we believe in ourself. >> we're a great team and played great baseball. we have a chance to do it again tomorrow. >> there is one interesting statistic. playing in the nats' favor. they haven't lost back-to-back home games since july 31 and august 1. that was more than two months ago. so let's go, nats. >> fingers crossed. a second massachusetts drug maker is shutting down over tainted steroid injections linked to a meningitis outbreak. it's run by the same executives that run the first company, the one that